Rose Cabrera + Savannah Vrana

Rosaline and Savannah have long lamented the challenges they face by trying to eat healthy and local food. They actively pursue organic options and try to avoid produce with traces of pesticides, which led to a conversation about growing their own food. They realized they weren’t going to be able to grow anything at their own homes, so they decided to create a community garden in Lakeland to make locally-grown, organic food more accessible. Rosaline and Savannah believe that their garden will have a positive impact on people’s health, the environment, and the community of Lakeland.

What is your business? We are a non-profit community garden where members can rent a plot of land to grow their own food and participate in workshops to learn about healthy living and organic growing methods.

Who are your clients? People of all ages and backgrounds. We want growing your own food to become the norm again and we are determined to prove that everyone can learn how to do this!

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur? We have entrepreneurial hearts, are passionate about health, and wanted to find a way to give back to the Lakeland community.

Something interesting? We are both techies and plan to have a research + development area of the garden where we will test out various techniques and maybe even have an automated robotics-based system.

Business win? The community’s interest and passion have been astounding and continuously inspires us to keep going.

What would you like to see in Lakeland? More restaurants that source local ingredients and more “active lifestyle” options like bike trails, parks, and indoor rock climbing.

Favorite things to do in Lakeland? Grab coffee at Black & Brew, bike around downtown, and eat beignets at 801 E. Main.

How has Catapult helped you? Catapult is where we met Grant and Marissa Nieddu, whose land we are using for the garden! We’ve also been given indispensable advice and encouragement through programs like Intro to Entrepreneurship.